Military outreach for MPs dropped after Peter MacKay’s chopper scandal

A program to educate parliamentarians about the work being done by the Canadian military has been shut down months after it was revealed officers were using such visits to collect information on Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s political opponents.

The parliamentary outreach program allowed MPs and senators to visit military units and bases to improve their knowledge of the Canadian Forces.

But the visits became controversial earlier this year when it was revealed air force officers gathered information on MacKay’s political opponents in an effort to help out the beleaguered defence minister.

Air force officers targeted Scott Simms, a Liberal MP who criticized the decision by MacKay’s office to order a search-and-rescue helicopter to retrieve the minister from a private fishing lodge. That flight cost taxpayers $16,000, according to reports last year.

In addition, officers gathered information on NDP defence critic Jack Harris, who also has criticized MacKay.

The officers were trying to find out if the opposition MPs had ever used military aircraft and, if so, had reimbursed the Canadian Forces for their flights.

But both MPs were visiting bases as part of military efforts to educate them about the Canadian Forces and at no point had they used aircraft for personal reasons.

The Canadian Forces later defended its decision to collect such information and turn it over to MacKay’s office, saying the process was no different than its efforts to gather facts for the public and news media.

But some MPs said the military’s practice was jeopardizing the parliamentary outreach program. Former military officers also warned such activities, which prompted allegations about Canadian Forces personnel “digging up dirt” on the minister’s political enemies, crossed the line and jeopardized the long-standing political neutrality of the military.

But now the parliamentary program has been shut down, the military confirmed to the Ottawa Citizen.

“Given the current context of fiscal restraint and the realignment of priorities to available resources, it was decided to discontinue the parliamentary outreach program and to focus on the delivery of other programs,” Defence Department official Elizabeth Hodges stated in an email.

“While the Canadian Forces Parliamentary Program has been discontinued, engagement opportunities for parliamentarians will continue in a decentralized manner at the base and wing level.”

DND did not provide details about how much will be saved by shutting down the program.

But the NDP’s Harris thinks the move is a mistake and doesn’t believe cutting the program will save much money. Although he thought it was wrong and misguided for officers to collect information for MacKay on opposition MPs, he believes the parliamentary program is still worthwhile.

“It provides a valuable window and perspective to members of parliament on what the military do and how they operate,” Harris said.

He spent three days with search and rescue crews, he said, learning about their jobs. Former NDP leader Jack Layton spent time on a frigate, while other MPs went with army units, he added.

“The military harmed the program by co-operating with MacKay’s office and by treating it as a political issue,” said Harris. “But I still think they should bring the program back.”
The outreach program, he noted, “improves the democratic relationship between parliament and the military.”

Hodges noted in her email that the Canadian Forces “will continue to support parliamentary committees in their work. DND will continue to conduct stakeholder activities as part of its broader engagement programming.”

Military records show that at the time of the controversy over MacKay’s search-and-rescue helicopter flight, officers focused on Simms and Harris, two vocal critics of the minister, even though they had lists of Conservative MPs who also accepted invitations to visit military bases and units.

Like Harris, It turned out that Simms had flown with search and rescue crews as part of an invitation to learn more about the Canadian Forces.

In defending his use of the helicopter, MacKay noted that opposition MPs had also flown on military aircraft.

Earlier this year, Jay Paxton, MacKay’s spokesman, stated in an email that his office engaged “the department in order to provide facts and context to an issue of public interest” and that citing examples of MPs who take military flights is relevant.

Earlier this year the head of the Royal Canadian Air Force said there was nothing wrong with gathering such information and giving it to MacKay.

“We provide information when it is requested of us by anyone requesting it, as long as it is not classified or does not cross the boundaries of protected information,” Lt.-Gen. Andre Deschamps, an air force commander, told senators.

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